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John Dennis
John Dennis (1657 - 6 January 1734) was an English poet, literary critic, and playwright. Life Overview Denham, son of a saddler, was born in London, and educated at Harrow and Caius College, Cambridge, from the latter of which he was expelled for stabbing a fellow-student, and transferred himself to Trinity Hall. He attached himself to the Whigs, in whose interest he wrote several bitter and vituperative pamphlets. His attempts at play-writing were failures; and he then devoted himself chiefly to criticising the works of his contemporaries. In this line, while showing some acuteness, he aroused much enmity by his ill-temper and jealousy. Unfortunately for him, some of those whom he attacked, such as Pope and Swift, had the power of conferring upon him an unenviable immortality. Embalmed in The Dunciad, his name has attained a fame which no work of his own could have given it. Of Milton, however, he showed a true appreciation. Among his works are Rinaldo and Armida (1699), Appius and Virginia (1709), Reflections Critical and Satirical (1711), and Three Letters on Shakespeare. He died in straitened circumstances.John William Cousin, "Dennis, John," A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, 1910, 112. Web, Jan. 3, 2018. Youth and education Dennis, the son of a saddler, was born in London in 1657. He was educated at Harrow School and Caius College, Cambridge, where he earned a B.A. degree in 1679. In the next year he was fined and dismissed from his college for having wounded a fellow-student with a sword. He was, however, received at Trinity Hall, where he earned an M.A. degree in 1683.Britannica 1911, 44. Career After travelling in France and Italy, he settled in London, where he became acquainted with Dryden, Wycherley and others; and being made temporarily independent by inheriting a small fortune, he devoted himself to literature. The duke of Marlborough procured him a place as one of the queen’s waiters in the customs with a salary of £120 a year. This he afterwards disposed of for a small sum, retaining, at the suggestion of Lord Halifax, a yearly charge upon it for a long term of years. One of his tragedies, a violent attack on the French in harmony with popular prejudice, entitled "Liberty Asserted, "was produced with great success at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in 1704. His sense of his own importance approached mania, and he is said to have desired the duke of Marlborough to have a special clause inserted in the treaty of Utrecht to secure him from French vengeance. Marlborough pointed out that although he had been a still greater enemy of the French nation, he had no fear for his own security. This tale and others of a similar nature may well be exaggerations prompted by his enemies, but the infirmities of character and temper indicated in them were real. Conflict with Pope Pope assailed Dennis in 1711 in the Essay on Criticism, as Appius. Dennis retorted by Reflections, Critical and Satirical ..., a scurrilous production in which he taunted Pope with his deformity, saying among other things that he was “as stupid and as venomous as a hunch-backed toad.” Dennis had also been offended by a humorous quotation made from his works by Addison, and published in 1713 Remarks upon Cato. Much of this criticism was acute and sensible, and it is quoted at considerable length by Johnson in his Life of Addison, but there is no doubt that Dennis was actuated by personal jealousy of Addison’s success. Pope replied in The Narrative of Dr Robert Norris, concerning the strange and deplorable frenzy of John Dennis ... (1713). This pamphlet was full of personal abuse, exposing Dennis’s foibles, but offering no defence of Cato. Addison repudiated any connivance in this attack, and indirectly notified Dennis that when he did answer his objections, it would be without personalities. He also wrote in 1717 Remarks upon Mr Pope’s Translation of Homer ... and A True Character of Mr Pope. He accordingly figures in the Dunciad, and in a scathing note in the edition of 1729 (bk. i. 1. 106) Pope quotes his more outrageous attacks, and adds an insulting epigram attributed to Richard Savage, but now generally ascribed to Pope. More pamphlets followed, but Dennis’s day was over. Last years He outlived his annuity from the customs, and his last years were spent in great poverty. Bishop Atterbury sent him money, and he received a small sum annually from Sir Robert Walpole. A benefit performance was organized at the Haymarket (December 18, 1733) on his behalf. Pope wrote for the occasion an ill-natured prologue which Cibber recited. Dennis died within 3 weeks of this performance, on the 6th of January 1734. Writing Criticism Dennis is best remembered as a critic, and Isaac D’Israeli, who took a by no means favorable view of Dennis, said that some of his criticisms attain classical rank. The earlier ones, which have nothing of the rancour that afterwards gained him the nickname of “Furius,” are the best. They are Remarks... (1696), on Blackmore’s epic of Prince Arthur; Letters upon Several Occasions written by and between Mr Dryden, Mr Wycherley, Mr Moyle, Mr Congreve and Mr Dennis, published by Mr Dennis (1696); 2 pamphlets in reply to Jeremy Collier’s Short View: The advancement and reformation of modern poetry (1701), perhaps his most important work; ''The Grounds of Criticism in Poetry (1704), in which he argued that the ancients owed their superiority over the moderns in poetry to their religious attitude; an Essay upon Publick Spirit... (1711), in which he inveighs against luxury, and servile imitation of foreign fashions and customs; and Essay on the Genius and Writings of Shakespeare in three Letters (1712).''Britannica 1911, 45. Miscellaneous His other works include several plays, for 1 of which, Appius and Virginia (1709), he invented a new kind of thunder. Neither the poems nor the plays of Dennis are of any account. He wrote a curious Essay on the Operas after the Italian Manner (1706), maintaining that opera was the outgrowth of effeminate manners, and should, as such, be suppressed. His Works were published in 1702, Select Works in 2 volumes in 1718, and Miscellaneous Tracts, the first volume only of which appeared, in 1727. For accounts of Dennis see Cibber’s Lives of the Poets, vol. iv.; Isaac D’Israeli’s essays on Pope and Addison in the Quarrels of Authors, and “On the Influence of a Bad Temper in Criticism” in Calamities of Authors; and numerous references in Pope’s Works. Although Johnson was to call for a complete edition of Dennis’ works, this was not undertaken until 1938 (Edward Niles Hooker, The Critical Works of John Dennis (Baltimore, 1938). Publications Poetry *''Poems in burlesque; with a dedication in burlesque''. London: 1692. *''The court of death; a Pindarique poem''. London: James Knapton, 1695. *''The Nuptials of Britain's Genius and Fame: A Pindarique poem''. London: R. Parker / Sam. Brixcoe, 1697. *''Miscellany Poems''. London: Sam. Briscoe, 1697. *''The Monument: A poem sacred to ... William III''. London: D. Brown / A. Bell, 1702. *''Britannia triumphans; or, The empire sav'd''. London: J. Nutt, 1704. *''The Battle of Ramillia; or, The power of union: A poem, in five books''. London: Ben. Bragg, 1706. *''A Poem upon the Death of ... Queen Anne''. London: H. Meere, for J. Baker, 1714. *''Poems''. Brighton, UK: Robert Falthourp, 1853. Plays *''A Plot and No Plot: A comedy''. London: R. Parker / P. Buck / R. Wellington, 1697. *''Rinaldo and Armida: A tragedy''. London: Jacob Tonson, 1699. **''Iphigenia: A tragedy''. London: Richard Parker, 1700. * The Comical Gallant; or, The amours of Sir John Falstaffe: A comedy(adaptation of The Merry Wives of Windsor). London: A. Baldwin, 1702. * Liberty Asserted: A tragedy. London: George Strahan / Bernard Lintott, 1704. **''Gibraltar; or, The Spanish adventure: A comedy''. London: Wm. Turner, 1705. *''Appius and Virginia: A tragedy''. London: Bernard Lintott, 1709. *''The Invader of His Country; or, The fatal resentment: A tragedy'' (adaptation of Coriolanus). London: J. Peele, 1720. *''The Plays'' (edited by James William Johnson). New York: Garland, 1980. Non-fiction *''The Impartial Critick; or, Some observations on ... Mr. Rymer''. London: R. Taylor, 1693. *''Remarks on a book entituled, 'Prince Arthur: An heroick poem'.'' London: S. Heyrick / R. Sare, 1696. *''The Usefulness of the Stage: To the happiness of mankind, to government, and to religion. London: Rich. Parker, 1698. *''The Advancement and Reformation of Modern Poetry. London: Rich. Parker, 1701. *''The danger of priestcraft in Religion and Government''. London: 1702. *''An Essay on the Navy''. London: John Nutt, 1702. *''Mr. Collier's Dissuasive from the Play-house''. London: *''A Proposal for Putting a Speedy End to the War''. London: Daniel Brown / Andrew Bell, 1703. * The Grounds of Criticism in Poetry. London: Geo. Strahan / Bernard Lintott, 1704. *''Essay on the Opera's after the Italian Manner''. London: John Nutt, 1706. *''Essay upon Publick Spirit''. London: Bernard Lintott, 1711. *''Reflections critical and satirical, upon a late rhapsody, call'd, An essay upon criticism''. London: 1711. *''Essay on the Genius and Writings of Shakespeare: In three letters''. London: Bernard Lintott, 1712. *''Remarks upon 'Cato, a tragedy'.'' London: B. Lintott, 1713. *''John Dennis, the sheltring poet's invitation to Richard Steele''. London: John Morphew, 1714. *''Priestcraft Distinguished from Christianity. London: J. Roberts, 1715. *''A True Character of Mr. Pope. London: S. Popping, 1716. *''Remarks upon Mr. Pope's Homer''. London: E. Curll, 1717. *''The Character and Conduct of Sir John Edgar''. London: M. Smith, 1720. *''Original Letters: Familial, moral, and critical''. London: W. Mears, 1721. *''A Defence of Sir Fopling Flutter, a comedy written by Sir George Etheredge''. London: T. Warner, 1722. *''Julius Caesar Acquitted ... in a letter to a friend. London: J. Mack-Euen, 1722. *''Remarks on a Play, call'd The conscious lovers. London: T. Warner, 1723. *''Vice and Luxury Publick Mischiefs; or, Remarks on a book intituled, The fable of the Bees''. London: W. Mears, 1724. *''The Stage Defended: from Scripture, reason, experience, and the common sense of mankind, for two thousand years''. London: N. Blandford, 1726. *''Remarks on Mr. Pope's Rape of the Lock: In several letters to a friend''. London: J. Roberts, 1728. *''Remarks upon ... The Dunciad''. London: H. Whitridge, 1729. *''The Critical Works'' (edited by Edward Niles Hooker). (2 volumes), Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1939-43. Collected editions *''Miscellanies in Verse and Prose''. London: James Knapton, 1693. *''The Select Works''. (2 volumes), London: John Darby, 1718. *''Miscellaneous Tracts''. (2 volumes), London: privately published, 1727. Edited *''Letters upon Several Occasions written by and between Mr. Dryden, Mr. Wycherley, Mr. Moyle, Mr. Congreve and Mr. Dennis, published by Mr. Dennis''. London: Sam. Briscoe, 1696. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:John Dennis, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, June 3, 2016. See also *List of British poets *List of English-language playwrights *List of literary critics References * Notes External links ;Prose * The Grounds of Criticism in Poetry by John Dennis *John Debbus (1657-1734) info & 5 essays at English Poetry, 1579-1830 ;Books * ;About *Dennis, John in the Dictionary of National Biography * Original article is at Dennis, John Category:English dramatists and playwrights Category:Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Category:1658 births Category:1734 deaths Category:Writers from London Category:English male writers Category:Literary dunces Category:1657 births Category:People from Harrow, London Category:17th-century poets Category:18th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:English literary critics Category:English poets Category:Poets